Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to join you all at today's opening ceremony of "Ngong Ping 360".

The opening of "Ngong Ping 360" brings about another brand new tourist attraction to Hong Kong. The cable-car ride connecting Ngong Ping to Tung Chung offers a spectacular panoramic view of the beautiful landscape of Lantau Island, which is simply irresistible.

What's more, this new attraction combines nicely with other attractions in Ngong Ping such as the Big Buddha, the Po Lin Monastery and the Path of Wisdom. It also gives our visitors convenient access to explore other intriguing parts of Lantau, such as the quaint fishing village of Tai O, the charming beaches in South Lantau and historical sites at Mui Wo.

Hong Kong's tourism industry continues to perform well this year. Visitor arrivals increased by nearly 10% in the first nine months to about 19 million visitors. Arrivals from the Mainland were particularly strong and grew by 11% to 10 million.

The Government will continue to invest in our tourism infrastructure and improve our quality of service to strengthen Hong Kong's position as the premier destination for visitors in Asia and in the world.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your contribution to the development of Hong Kong's tourism and look forward to your continuous support. Thank you very much.